Rock and Rolling for a Cause

The gauzy guitar licks of Eric Clapton's "Mainline Florida" set the night of music in motion. As the Polish American Hall filled with the sound of classic rock, Port residents turned out in droves for the Port Washington Education Foundation (PWEF) and its Battle of the Bands fundraiser last Saturday night.

The PWEF is a community organization that provides grants for innovative educational projects in the Port Washington Union Free School District. Since its inception in 2001, the foundation has awarded more than $400,000 in grants throughout the district's seven schools. 

"The foundation raises money for school projects that are not part of the school budget," said Amy Bass, PWEF founding member and now President Emerita. "And it's more and more important as the budget is stripped bare."

Three local bands brought their musical mojo to the event: Little Sammy and The Funked Up Daddies, Six Degrees North and Rock Steady. The bands are made up of residents of Port Washington and its surrounding towns; many are parents of school-aged kids.

"Many people don't know that there's a vibrant music scene in Port Washington," said Damon Gersh, lead singer of Rock Steady. He added that bands often play at Sullivan's Quay, Rock-N-Sake, La Motta's and at local charity events.

"Playing brings us back to a point in time when you were young, when things weren't so complicated," said Marc Shapiro, drummer for Six Degrees North. "The enjoyment we feel when playing is indescribable."

The evening's bands donated their time to the event; many are on the receiving end of the benefits the PWEF offers. Six Degrees North front-woman Sheri Suzzan is a mom of Weber Middle School and Salem Elementary School students as well as a Daly Elementary teacher.

As a kindergarten teacher, when Suzzan brought "Cooking Through the Cultures" into her classroom, it was the PWEF who supplied the cooking equipment. "It's great that I can support the schools in this way," Suzzan said. "The ed foundation is responsible for providing many grants and programs and equipment that all of our children have really benefited from."

More than 200 music fans showed up, many wearing concert tees and de rigueur black, to enjoy more than three hours of music.

"We're here because my husband loves Rock Steady," Pam Levy said.

After opening the night with guitar-hero Clapton, Little Sammy treated the crowd to 40 minutes of jam-band merrymaking, with a smoky high point of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic." The set closed with Bob Dylan's anthem, "Like a Rolling Stone."

Next up was Six Degrees North who blazed onto the stage with a fist-pumping rendition of Grand Funk Railroad's "We're an American Band." Suzzan, a Stevie Nicks sound-alike, toughed through a recent bout of laryngitis to lend power to a set that included more Clapton, Allman Brothers and Tom Petty. In advance of The Who's Super Bowl Sunday performance, the group covered one of Pete Townsend's best-known songs, "Behind Blue Eyes."

Last to perform, but first to fill the dance floor was crowd-pleaser Rock Steady who brought the 2010 music scene to the room, opening with recent Grammy-winner "Use Somebody" by the Kings of Leon. Other dance favorites included Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" and the Black Crowes version of "Hard to Handle." Band-of-the-weekend, The Who, also got a nod with a performance of its iconic "My Generation." In a set marked by driving beats, a rollicking, energetic rendition of Joe Jackson's "I'm the Man" was a standout.

Eighth-grade Weber English teacher Jeff Moss came out on the cold evening to support the event. Moss is a PWEF grant recipient; for five years the foundation has funded "The Blues," an inter-disciplinary study which uses the poetry of Langston Hughes as a jumping off point for examining history, music and art. Every eighth-grade student participates, writing and performing their own blues song. The program culminates with a visit from renowned blues guitarist Toby Walker. 

"Between 350 and 400 kids participate," Moss said. "Their response is amazing. When you ask them what they remember about eighth-grade, this is it."

"Storytime Theater" originator Elise May also attended. May is also a PWEF grant recipient for "Expressive Elocution," a three-session workshop on public speaking and performing arts. All fifth-graders in the district participate. "The kids need this because they often don't have the presentation skills," May said. "It's all 'like' and 'you know.'  The earlier the better for this. Now I see fifth-graders that have had 'Storytime Theater' as kindergartners. You can see the progression."

For the 2009-2010 school year, PWEF is funding 29 new grants including "Hydroponics in the Classroom" at Schreiber High School, the "Weber Outdoor Classroom & Science Lab" and "Folktales: A Window into World Cultures" at Salem.

District Superintendent Dr. Geoffrey Gordon was also in the house signaling his long-standing support of the PWEF's mission. "Supporting education outside the budget is critical during these tough economic times," Gordon said.

Local business Castle Repair underwrote all of the event's costs, allowing the PWEF to "keep 100 percent of the funds raised," said event co-chair Paula Whitman. "Dave Weiss of Castle Repair has been extremely generous."

Other donations included raffle prizes from Dvora's Art Studio, which also provided event signage and items from WearYourMusic.org, including a bracelet made out of one of Pete Townsend's guitar strings. Local businesses donated the food and wine as well.

While the event was billed as a "battle," the musicians opted instead to band together making the evening a concert, rather than a clash. The camaraderie extended to musical pairings: Damon Gersh and Jim Neuwirth of Rock Steady joined Little Sammy and the Funked Up Daddies on the Allman Brothers' "One Way Out."

In the end, the hottest contest of the evening was the wine ring toss game. Collar a bottle, it was yours to bring home. Three tries cost participants just $10.

"It's one of those things that looks terribly easy," said the evening's emcee Mark Gamell, whose wife Doreen is a PWEF board member. "It's not, but it's all for a good cause."

The Battling Bands

Little Sammy and The Funked Up Daddies: Sam Fox (bass/vocals); Mark Rechler (keyboard/vocals); Gray Kroman (guitar/vocals) and Dave Forman (drum/vocals).

Six Degrees North: Sheri Suzzan (vocals); Bill Heppner (vocals/guitar); Lowell Frey (guitar/vocals); March Shapiro (drums); Michael Aronson (guitar) and Chris Kiel (bass/vocals).

Rock Steady: Damon Gersh (vocals/guitar); Andy Lavin (drums); Chris Metaxas (bass); Jim Neuwirth (guitar) and Richie Schiff (keyboard/drums).

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